It is not large, but the gold coin found in Vestre Slidre in Valdres this autumn is quite unusual. The experts believe the coin has been lying in the mountain for over 1,000 years, all the way back to Norse times – It is very well preserved. Gold keeps well for a very long time, says May-Tove Smiseth. She is a senior adviser in archeology in Innlandet County Municipality, and believes the coin may appear to look unchanged from when it was lost well over a thousand years ago. For the person who lost it, it must have been sad, because gold coins had great value then as now. Have you ever found something rare? ⛏🔍 Yes, I have made archaeological discoveries. No never. I really want to find something. Show result In very good condition The coin was found by a man in Vestre Slidre. The man was at his cabin last autumn, and got the idea that he wanted to go for a walk with the metal detector. He did the search on a farm belonging to some friends of his. IN GOOD CONDITION: Gold is a permanent material, and the coin in Valdres has held up well. Photo: Martine Kaspersen / Innlandet county council On the one side of the coin you can see Christ holding the Bible, and on the other side it is probably the emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII that we see depicted. The two brothers ruled together in the Byzantine Empire between 975 and 1025 AD. Certainly real The coin is now well looked after by Innlandet County Council. – We have received it, it is real business, says Smiseth. Admittedly, old gold coins have also been found in Norway in the past, but usually in connection with treasures that have been found. – Finding a coin like this outside of such treasure finds is unique, says Smiseth. Facts about the coin The coin was struck late in the reign of Basil II and Constantine VIII, sometime between 977 and 1025 AD. This can be seen from the dotted, triple edge around the coin. The coin also has two inscriptions, one in Latin which says: “Jesus Christ, King of those who reign”, and one in Greek which says: “Basil and Constantine, emperors of the Romans”. Source: Innlandet county council May have come with Harald Hardråde Harald Hardråde served in the Emperor’s lifeguard in Byzantium. The sagas tell that the ships of Harald and his men were filled with gold and treasures when they finally returned home to Norway in the year 1046. – Maybe it was he who was in Valdres and lost the coin? – Yes maybe it. Or one of his people. – How would you rate this find? – This is find number one of the coin finds in the Inland. We have admittedly received fine silver coins in the past, but never one like this in gold. How did it end up in Vestre Slidre? Valdres was until 1125 part of the Bjørgvin diocese. Perhaps the coin was lost by clerics on the way between east and west? Through Vestre Slidre ran one of the old trade routes, founded on the trade of salt and herring from Western Norway, and iron ingots, hides and antlers from the east. The location is still a secret. The reason for that is that the coin was found so late in the autumn that there was no time to investigate the place before the snow came. Those investigations will be carried out in the spring, and only after this has been done will it be told where the coin was found. Who found it is also not known. The finder wishes to remain anonymous. But this much can be revealed: He is a cabin owner in Vestre Slidre, and also the owner of a metal detector.
ttn-69
Found over a thousand-year-old gold coin in the mountains in Valdres – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
